Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-25
TU'PENNYl
BY S. Barring GOULD.
CHAPTER VI.
OF CAUTIONS GIVEN.


hood it fired her Imagination
She had been so nurSed in the notion
that she was to have n grand future, and
that the only way in which this grand
future was to be secured was through a
grand marriage, and the only way in
which grand marriage was to be ar
rived at was by personal ornament, the
cultivation of complexion and hair, and
by coquetry, that as Trip grew into young
womanhoud she qualified for il with even
greater eagcrncss than she had qualified
before for i1lencss by passing the fourth
standard. \ life of luxury and cXtrava-
gance, Of wearing of fine dresses and of
seeing sights, of being admired, and of
doing nothing was held up to her as tho
reward of passing the fifth standard.
That fifth standard was the captivating
and catching of a wealthy husband.
In spite Of the deterioration of her
character. in spite of her mothers re-
monstrancc, the friendship with Joe Wes-
tern was not broken; it lasted on with
fluctuations, it lasted in spite of Joc's i'll
humor and her provocations, that i'll hui
NOR in Joe being the result of her provo
cations.
But good there was, lying deep below
the surface, buried under a wonderful
accumulation of frppery and folly.
They had their quarrcls when Trip
bounced out of the mill, vowing she
would never again revisit it, because Joe
was GUM and had not word to cast at
her; or when Joe, angered at some foolish
remark or exhibition of petulancc gave
her Il sharp rcprmand. Sometimes these
quarrels lasted week, once or twice a
month, when they neither met nor spoke.
Reconciliation always came from the side
of Trip Joe never sought her out; but
when she reappeared, penitent with
downcast head-pitiful entreaty to be for.
gtven-and pleading eyes, he could not
resist the appeal. They shook hands,
aud were friends again.
my dear Lena" said her mother, II
don't half like you to see so much Of Mr.
Western. He may be, and no doubt is,
respectable young man. But rcspccta-
bility is not what we look at, we look
miles beyond that. So my dear Lena,
give him no encouragement. If ever it
should happen that he persuaded you to
become Mrs. Joe Miller it would bring
my gray hars-no, they arc brown and
not gray yet-with sorrow to the grave"
Mamma what comca idea! JocH
"Let it remain an idea, and comical
one, Lena. As an idea only it is like
cold water trickling down my backbone.
My dear, if you were to be such Il fool as
to take Mr.. Joe Western, I'd wash my
hands of you. Flying would be as out of
the question as when the wings are
clipped You'd stick to the soil. I'll tell
you exactly what it would be like. was
once at "a shOw-a sort of mixed circus
and menagcrie-and it was advertised
and given out in public that an elephant
was to ascend in fire balloon. Well, |
spose pounds was took at the door of
people that went in to see. | went in.
Il rue enough there was the elephant, ana
there was the fire balloon. The balloon
was hooked on to a bClt-a very Orna
mental belt il was, of all the rainb wv
eolors-passcd round the body Of the
elephant. There was catch at the top.
and into this catch went an iron hook
from the bottom of the balloon. Well.
Lena, a fire of tow ana spirits of wine
was lighted in the balloon, and will say
this for the balloon. believe it did its
best TO rise, but ii coulln' because OF
the elephant. 1t could neither lift the
great beast nor rise itself 80 AT last the
cord was cut. and away flew the balloon
without him. and we looked after it till it
was no more than like a star in the sky.
But the elephant didn't bulge an inch.
not he. He didn't even look up after .he
balloon.
"Mhcrc did it come down, mammal"
"Oh, don't know, nor whether it ever
came down at all. They ought to have
returned us our coppers as the elephant
didn't 20 mp. but yOn may be sure we got
nothing back. Now, my dear Lena
true as stand here that was a pictur' of
an unequal match. So never you think
of taking and fastening of yourself on to
any elephant; you re fire balloon and
ordained to rise to be star
Much about the same time Mrs. Yves
tern was addressing word of caution to
her son.
She had watched Joe for long with the
anxiety of a mother and the perception
of the loving eye. At one time he seemed
TO be escaping from his silent ways, to
become more genial and Socablc; but of
late his curious closencss had closed over
him again, and had become more con
hrmcd and intensified.
Something weighed on his mind. His
mother was sure of that; but what it was
she did not at once discover. For a time
she suspected that the business was not
prospecting, that his accounts had not
been paid to Christmas, that something
was wrong with the machinery Of the
mill, which would entail heavy outlay
which he did not know how to meet that
custom was falling off-but she aban-
doned all these suggestions, there was
no evidence to substantiate them, and the
man was able to satisfy her that every
thing went well with the mill.
What was the matter with .JOe9
She observed that his fits of deepest
depression occurred after his interviews
with Trip. Nevertheless, she did not ar
rive at the right solution even then; it
seemed to her prepossesscd mind that Joe
would never care for any girl who was
not as grave, sedate, and systematic as
himself That so frivolous, inconsider-
ate coquctte as Trip should have seized
on her sons heart was inconceiyable by
her for long. She resisted the thoughts
she fought against evidence when il
came on her. No-Joe was i'll, he was
suffering from some internal malady.
She asked him if he had any Hines.
hanging about him; anything the matter
with his liver He shook his head and
answered. u am quite VOL. mother'